TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to devices for harvesting sections of grass laden soil or "sod" that are intended for transplanting to areas where a well-formed grass surface is needed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device which automatically replants the harvested area by pressing into the ground small portions or "plugs" of the sod prior to harvesting the remaining surface area of sod.
The conventional practice in harvesting sod is to cut the sod from the ground surface in rectangular strips. Traditionally the sod will be cut in sections approximately 16" wide by 24" long. The sod sections are cut in alternating strips in order to leave sufficient areas of undisturbed grass such that the sod field is able to regrow grass on the barren areas from which the sod was removed. The widths of these undisturbed strips of grass typically vary from approximately 1/2 inch to approximately 4 inches depending on the variety of grass. However, the larger the undisturbed strips are, the less efficient the harvest is since a large percentage of the sod remains unharvested. On the other hand, if the undisturbed strips are made narrower, the field will take longer to recover for another harvesting. Furthermore, after the original strips of sod have been removed, the sod tends to regrow in uneven sections leaving a field that is nonuniform and difficult to harvest in the future. These uneven strips of sod may also tend to alter the natural drainage of the field, thereby causing erosion and damage to the soil.
Newer harvesting equipment allows sod to be cut in a continuous section and the sod to be rolled up as the harvesting machine proceeds down the sod field. While it is possible with this equipment to cut wider sections of sod (approximately 30" to 48"), these wider sections make it extremely difficult if impossible for the remaining strips of grass to regrow over a 30" section of barren ground within a reasonable length of time. What is needed in the art is a device and method of harvesting sod that will overcome these disadvantages and allow virtually the entire sod field to be harvested.